Al-Shabaab video claims to show captive Kenyan soldier

By Magdalene Mukami

NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) – Somalia’s al-Shabaab militant group on Sunday released another video purporting to show a Kenyan soldier pleading for his family, countrymen and president to negotiate for his release.

Filmed wearing full uniform, the soldier -- identified by his military number as one David Ngugi Wataari -- was among Kenyan troops deployed at the El-Adde military base in Somalia which was ambushed by al-Shabaab in January.

More than 60 Kenyan soldiers are thought to have died during the attack although the exact death toll has never been made public by the government in Nairobi.

Ngugi was first shown in an initial video of the El-Adde attack, having being shot in the right eye as the camp was overrun.

In the latest video the man, now recovered, says he belonged to the Kenya Defence Forces’ 120th artillery unit and was deployed to Somalia on Jan. 1 before being captured two weeks later.

“We were under AMISOM and at the time of our arrival, fighting intensified and we were eventually captured by al-Shabaab,” the Kenyan soldier said.

“My release depends on your help; talk to our leaders, tell them your son was captured and ask them to intercede on my behalf to the government and secure my release from this country,” he added.

Kenya’s Interior Ministry has said it will not comment on media released by al-Shabaab.

This is the third video that the group has released purporting to show prisoners captured in East Africa. The region has contributed over 20,000 African Union troops to fight the al-Qaeda-affiliated militant group.